Personal Stories of Labor and Birth

Hearing women’s stories of labor and birth can help us know what to expect and reassure us that our experiences are not unique. Below are unedited stories submitted by Our Bodies Ourselves readers.

Here is my version of what happened, and how I felt about it. I didn’t leave anything out, and I didn’t edit anything down. This is my story, in my words… read more

Friday night I was having some sporadic contractions. I timed them and they varied from 15 minutes apart to an hour apart. Still, it was exciting because I could tell things were happening… read more

I was exactly 38 weeks pregnant when I lost my mucus plug. It had been a healthy pregnancy, but I’d been plagued by numerous discomforts (edema, severe carpal tunnel syndrome, heartburn, painful abdominal muscle stretching) so I was happy for it to be coming to an early end… read more

I knew I was ovulating the night of December 16th. Later on that night I said to my husband firmly “It better be a girl”… read more